According to Reuters, Dumble Farm started as a dairy farm in the 1970s, but in recent years, flooding washed out crops and killed off the type of grass the cows like to eat, while milk prices below cost of production proved an insurmountable challenge.
“The amount of flooding and the pressures on our land were just making it unsustainable for us to carry on,” said farm co-owner Fiona Wilson.
Agriculture is one of the sectors worst-affected by climate change, with farmers in Europe and elsewhere suffering under increasing heat, drought and flooding. In 2022, Dumble Farm sold all but a few of its dairy cows and, in a scramble to reinvent itself, began offering “cow cuddling” experiences to fund a wildlife conservation scheme.
For £95 (NZ$213), visitors can cuddle, brush and stroke the cows, as they lie down on a straw-covered enclosure inside a barn. The experience includes a safari to see Highland cattle.
